5 Reasons Why We Love Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving Episode

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving has been one of the most-watched season episodes since the seventies, and with good reason. Its amazing!

Do you remember how cool it was when we were kids to just enjoy the holidays with not much to do, just sitting on the couch and watching the cool season episodes on TV, while your parents were all crazy, preparing everything for the celebration? No? Just lazy me? I had my ultimate favorites for each festivity (which for me started on Halloween), and I would religiously watch them on the TV while cuddling on the couch with my sister and eating some delicious snacks. Of course, one of my all-time faves is Charlie Brown’s special, which I link to so many good memories that it would be a sin to miss it. This is a thing for so many people out there who have made of this 20-minute episode a family tradition. If you’re one of these people, you’ll agree with me about the next points, and if not, perhaps these will convince you to adopt Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, and the rest of the gang into your Thanksgiving celebrations.

More than 40 years after it first aired, it’s still relevant.

Of course, there are many things about the history of Thanksgiving that the episode doesn't mention, and that there are so many things that should be different. However, for a cartoon episode made in 1973, it still has lots of wisdom to impart. Perhaps, the greatest of all is the fact that it reminds us to focus on the most important things in life, like friendship and being grateful, rather than the materialistic aspects of the celebration (something a lot of people should really consider).

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It’s an emotional rollercoaster.

This episode has it all: from really funny moments (like Snoopy and Woodstock setting the table for the celebration or the opening scene with Lucy tricking Charlie into kicking the ball) to the emotional and heartfelt bits we all love (Linus’s monologues are always on point).

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It has some really important and relatable truths.

Besides the important message we already talked about, we can’t forget about other relatable truths in the episode. The first one takes place in the second scene of the episode, when Charlie is talking with his sister. She represents the main issues the celebration faces these days, which is not focusing on what the celebration is all about, but rather on the superficial bits of it. There’s also a moment that speaks to me in many ways, when the Brown brothers and their friend Linus talks about how it seems as though we’re determined to live everything so fast that the moment Halloween is over, we’re already thinking about what we’re doing for Christmas instead of enjoying every holiday on its own time.

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It reminds us of a simpler time.

Above all, as I mentioned at the beginning, what makes this special episode so great and endearing is the fact that it transports us to a simpler time. Besides the fact that we used to watch it as kids, it also shows us about that innocent and simple way of understanding and looking at things without all the drama and complications that we have in our adult lives. This is a great excuse to forget about everything and go back to those days when your only concern was which cartoons you wanted to watch next.

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That cannibalistic scene is gold!

I think this is the only chance I'll ever have to talk about this, so here it goes. Did you see how, at the end of the episode, Snoopy and Woodstock are having their own Thanksgiving dinner and the main dish is actually a turkey? I mean, is Woodstock a creepy cannibal who eats other birds? That always made me laugh so hard, to be honest.

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Ok, the last one was more of a fun fact that I’ve always enjoyed and makes me return to the episode every year. But in general, what we can say that "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" is a classic television show that warms your heart and puts you in the best mood to have a happy and joyful Thanksgiving. If you were wondering how to relive your childhood nostalgia, it will air on November 21st on ABC at 8 pm.